Fish 'N' Chips
A Monthly Marine Newsletter
October 2001 Issue

Index

From Liz
By Elizabeth M. Lukan 10/29/01

Still looking for eFishTank Reviews! Just a reminder that I need reviews of eFishTank (http://www.efishtank.com/) to go along with an announcement article I'll be publishing in a future issue. I've received a couple of comments on the service (thanks to those who sent them in) but nothing with any in-depth information or of a good size (a couple of paragraphs) which is what I would like. Please visit eFishTank at http://www.efishtank.com/ and keep those comments coming. The service is free for 30 days.

Your Emailed Questions - I don't want to discourage any of you from emailing me your questions, but I do want you to know that I'm lucky if I get to check my Fish 'N' Chips mail once a month (usually as I'm midway through the mad dash to get the issue out before month end). If you've emailed me anything, I assure you that you will receive a reply, but I can't say how long you will have to wait. If you have any urgent questions, I suggest you send them to your favorite mailing list instead. If you aren't on a mailing list or want to find a better one, I highly recommend Reefs UK Chat (http://www.reefsuk.org) and the International Marine Aquarists Mailing List (http://www.topica.com/lists/international_marines/).

Visit This Month's Subscriber's Tank Showcase
Hennie Landman's Reef Tank is this month's Showcase and can be seen at http://www.marinefiends.com/tankshowcase.html.

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A Cowry Comment
By Jake Pehrson 10/2/01
Edited By Elizabeth M. Lukan 10/29/01

A quote direct from Jake...

"Cowries commonly eat sponges and some corals."

Anybody else want to send in a comment on their Cowry experiences? Send an email to fishnchips@mindspring.com with your comments and see your name in print next month.

Editor Comments:
Editing was limited to spelling, grammar, and putting Jake's writing into html and the Fish 'N' Chips format. Please visit Jake Pehrson's site, CoralPlanet at http://www.CoralPlanet.com/.

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Moving A Tank With Animals
By Judy Shaner 9/6/01
Edited By Elizabeth M. Lukan 10/29/01

The first order of a move is don’t panic about it! Take it one step at a time and all will work out fine. It is best to move everything in the morning before the lights come on and the animals wake up and expand.

1. Have new salt water made up to replace the approximately 4 inches of water that you will lose by not taking the dirty water at the bottom of your tank.
2. Have bags, tubs, boxes, etc. ready to hold all your water, animals, rock etc.
3. Know where you are going to put the tank at the new location and that you have the electricity etc.

Take a deep breath, relax, and start!

1. Bag up all your corals with the water as you have seen when you buy them.
2. Start draining off the clean water into tubs to bring it down to about half the tank full.
3. Take your live rock out – top rock in one box with small amount of water and a towel wet with salt water covering it and rest of rock in another box done the same way.
4. Bag up all snails, hermits, etc. in water as you find them along the way, they can be bagged in multiples, unlike the corals which were bagged each to a separate bag.
5. Bag up your fish in the cleanest water you have, as you have seen done when you buy them. If you try to catch them when the water is low, it is much easier, but the water is likely pretty dirty at that point, so have the bag ready with some of the cleaner water you have drained off. The fish will be safe in the bags for about 3 hours, if kept cool, dark, and you have bagged them properly. Note: you do not have to re-acclimate when you put them back into the tank.

Relax - Go to your new place.

1. Set up the tank on stand (knowing you have it in the right place with electricity available).
2. Put about 2 inches of water in tank (your premixed salt water) and measure to see if it is level all around. If not, shim under the stand - not the tank.
3. Start putting your saved water in the tank, place your bottom rocks in.
4. When water is up to about 6 inches, put your fish back in as we want to get them back in as soon as possible and they can hide in the few pieces of rock you already have in the tank.
5. Continue adding rock, water etc.
6. Add corals and everything else - top off water - plug in and you are done!

That was not so hard, was it?

Editor Comments:
The above was submitted by Judy Shaner of The Salt Box. Please visit Judy's site at http://www.coralreeftanks.com/. My editing was limited to formatting mostly.

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What's Up @ Reefs UK
- http://www.reefsuk.org -
By Elizabeth M. Lukan 10/29/01

10/3/01:

• Clayton Smith's article on raising the fry of breeding Orchid Dottybacks has been updated.

To join the Reefs UK Mailing List, send an email to post@reefsuk.org.
To join Reefs UK Chat (Email Discussion Group), visit the Reefs UK Website for instructions.

Editor's Comments:
Information in this section covers the latest happenings at Mark T. Taber's Reefs UK Web Site. Mark has given me permission to publish any information from his mailing list that I feel would be of interest to Fish 'N' Chips subscribers. So, the above, although reworded by me, should be credited to Mark or to Derek Scales who works closely with Mark on the running of Reefs UK. The dates in bold coincide with Mark or Derek's mailings and are provided as a reference.

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Caught In The Net
By Elizabeth M. Lukan 10/29/01

New Stuff Found

On Reefs.org (http://www.reefs.org/):

• Library/Talk "Coral Spawning in an Enclosed System" by Charles Delbeek on 10/2701

Virtual Pet Fish: According to the MOPy Fish site, the scientific name for MOPy is Piscenus Mopei Floataneus. This fish lives on your desktop (Windows platforms) and needs interaction with you in order to thrive. You need to take care of it - feed it, take care of it, play with it. It's got personality and it gets that personality from the way you treat it - it will play, sulk, show aggression, or develop what MOPy Fish calls SFA - Serious Fish Attitude. It can also die, so don't neglect it. You can find out all about MOPyFish at http://www.mopyfish.net/.

And on that note...  MOPy Fish reviews are welcome! Email your thoughts and opinions to me at fishnchips@mindspring.com.

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Marine News
By Elizabeth M. Lukan 10/27/01

9/28/01 - California, US: Researchers have discovered a strain of microbes living deep beneath the sea that eat their way through solid rock. The entire news release can be found at http://ens-news.com/ens/sep2001/2001L-09-28-09.html.

10/9/01 - Texas, US: More than 50 Duke Energy volunteers helped construct an oyster reef and plant native marsh grass as part of the Galveston Bay Foundation Reef Roundup Event on Saturday. The entire news release can be found at http://ens-news.com/ens/oct2001/2001L-10-09-09.html.

10/12/01 - Washington, US: The Marine Conservation Biology Institute announced the first six winners of Mia J. Tegner Memorial Research Grants in Marine Environmental History and Historical Marine Ecology. The entire news release can be found at http://ens-news.com/ens/oct2001/2001L-10-12-09.html.

10/12/01 - Florida, US: The Caribbean Conservation Corporation (CCC) and Volvo are working together to increase awareness about the marine environment during the around-the-world Volvo Ocean Race. Publicity surrounding the Volvo Ocean Race, one of the world's major sailing events, presents both CCC and Volvo with an ideal opportunity to raise awareness about ocean-related conservation issues. The entire news release can be found at http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Oct01/12Oct0101.html.

10/15/01 - Florida, US: Environmental artist Wyland pauses his work on marine mural to paint one of the world's largest American flags on a two acre roof in the flight path of Eglin Air Force Base in Okaloosa County, Florida. In the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11, Wyland announced the addition of the flag to the roof of the building where the marine mural is being painted to recognize the efforts of United States military service personnel. The nine-day marine mural project has already drawn thousands of onlookers. The entire news release can be found at http://ens-news.com/ens/oct2001/2001L-10-15-04.html.

10/17/01 - Washington DC, US: The House has passed the Coral Reef and Coastal Marine Conservation Act of 2001, a bill that boosts protections for the world's coral reefs. The Coral Reef Coastal Marine Conservation Act of 2001 (HR 2272) amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to provide for debt relief to developing countries who take action to protect critical coral reef habitats. The entire news release can be found at http://ens-news.com/ens/oct2001/2001L-10-17-09.html.

10/22/01 - Queensland, Australia: Scientists are collaborating with the Australian tourism industry to help reef based operators to prepare for coral bleaching events as the planet warms up. Rather than questioning whether or not global warming is real, these marine scientists are taking protective measures against the warmer temperatures forecast for coming years. The entire news release can be found at http://ens-news.com/ens/oct2001/2001L-10-22-02.html.

10/24/01 - California, US: Researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), have produced evidence that bacteria living inside a small marine invertebrate (Bugula neritina) may be the source of a new drug compound being developed to fight cancer. The entire news release can be found at http://ens-news.com/ens/oct2001/2001L-10-24-09.html.

10/25/01 - Virginia, US: Virginia Tech introduced its new Horseshoe Crab Research Center (HCRC). With more than 200 adult crabs, it is the largest captive system in the nation. The research center has been established to provide information necessary to improve the management of the species. The entire news release can be found at http://ens-news.com/ens/oct2001/2001L-10-25-09.html.

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Chips...er...Tips
RO Water Pressure
By Bryan Crenshaw
Edited By Elizabeth M. Lukan 9/30/01

How much water pressure do you need? Of course, I have to say the more pressure the better. Unfortunately, we only have so much water pressure available to us in our homes. First check your water supply for any type of pressure limitation devices. Some homes are equipped with these due to high pressure coming from their municipality. Typically these are adjustable and may be the answer to your problem. If you do not have one of these on your water supply, then you may purchase a booster pump which will increase the water pressure prior to the RO system. This pump will not increase the pressure throughout the house, only to the actual RO system itself. Any water pressure over 35 to 40 P.S.I. should be sufficient to run a reverse osmosis unit correctly. Keep in mind, however, that the more pressure, the easier the water will have penetrating the membrane element itself. Running a system with too little pressure will cause underproduction and over waste.

Editor Comments:
The above was written by Bryan Crenshaw of Aquatic Reef Systems. Please visit Bryan's site at http://www.aquaticreefsystems.com/.

To Submit Your Tip: Send your tip via email to fishnchips@mindspring.com and I'll publish it in an upcoming issue of Fish 'N' Chips. I'll write it up for you or you can do it yourself if you are so inclined. Make sure you let me know if I can include your name and email address or if you'd rather go anonymous.

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Upcoming Events
By Elizabeth M. Lukan 10/29/01

To Submit Your Event: Send your event and all the specifics (date, time, location, pricing, contact info, etc.) via email to fishnchips@mindspring.com and I'll publish it in all issues of Fish 'N' Chips prior to the event.

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Prove It!, a Bibliography
By Elizabeth M. Lukan 10/29/01

Article: Marine News

• Environment News Service, http://ens-news.com/

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